The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. Originally intended for New York City progressives, its readership is now national. For anyone who wants to be alerted by email whenever this newsletter is updated (usually weekly), please send your email address and let me know what state you live in (so I can keep track of my readership).

Thursday, July 14, 2011

GEORGIA FOCUS

GAPolitico: GAPolitico started out as UGA Liberal in the Summer of 2007. Over its history, the blog grew from having a few visitors a day to having a couple of hundred of visitors everyday. Eventually, the demand for more coverage area and bloggers grew.

To add to our coverage and design, we moved from Blogger over to WordPress. In doing so, we also switched the name up from UGA Liberal to GAPolitico, as we broadened our coverage from UGA and Athens to state politics in general.

Blog for Democracy is a group blog covering progressive politics in Georgia, USA. The site was launched in January of 2004 to help demystify the process of political involvement for new activists. Although a few of the original and current authors serve(d) in elected or appointed positions within Georgia and/or county Democratic Party organizations, this website is not, and has never been, officially affiliated with any political party organization.

Atlanta Progressive News: Also on Every Thursday on 89.3 FM WRFG 12pm "Current Events" Show with Adam Shapiro. And for more on Radio Free Georgia, go here.

Georgia Justice Project is an unlikely mix of lawyers, social workers and a landscape company. We defend people accused of crimes and, win or lose, we stand with our clients while they rebuild their lives.

CURRENT TV:Current TV, founded by Al Gore, includes some of the best journalism in America today. In particular their Vanguard series is amazing and should not be missed by ANYONE who wants to know in depth coverage of some of the major stories in the world. And now CurrentTV has Keith Olbermann as well.

The Cobb County NAACP monthly meetings are the first Monday of the month at the branch office at 6:30 p.m.

General membership meets the fourth Tuesday of the month, mostly at the office location but varies based on programs. Members are encouraged to attend these meetings. Join a committee today. Elections of officers are held in even years.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, is the oldest, largest and strongest civil rights organization in the United States. The principal objective of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of the United States.

The NAACP is committed to achievement through non-violence and relies upon the press, the petition, the ballot and the courts, and is persistent in the use of legal and moral persuasion even in the face of overt and violent racial hostility.

* According to the Georgia State Wind Map and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, there is over 10,000-megawatts of wind potential off the state’s coast. That's enough to replace 10 large coal-fired power plants!

* There are 2,027-megawatts of clean hydroelectric power in Georgia, which accounts for nearly all of the state's renewable energy generation today.

* Suniva, Inc. is building the first solar manufacturing plant in Georgia. The company will begin production at its 32-megawatt, high-efficiency solar cell facility in Gwinnet County, initially creating 100 new jobs.

Saving the Economy and Environment with Clean Energy!

Solar, Wind, Energy Efficiency, and Energy Conservation all have the power to meet our current and projected energy demand more cheaply then fossil fuels (read: Fools), all while providing more local jobs then traditional coal, nuclear, or natural gas plants! Join here for more details. Or go here: www.cleanpower4georgians.com

Alternative energy and YOUR energy bill: YOU can be part of the solution for America by signing up to purchase your energy through a Green Power Provider. My wife and I have been doing this in NYC for years. All our energy usage is provided through wind energy generation on American farms. So we use clean energy AND help American farmers. It costs us three cents per kilowatt-hour more per month, but we feel great about it. Although our actual energy may come from anywhere, we are paying to purchase wind energy for the energy grid. Each state has different programs available, usually through yuor existing energy provider right on your existing energy bill. To find such options in Georgia, go here and pick your energy provider from the list. If you need help, you can email me and tell me who you get your bill from (don't give me any other info!) and I can tell you who to contact to go green through that energy provider. Or you can do the same thing using Renewable Energy Certificates through an organization that works with utility companies, though in this case it is a separate bill. One off the cheapest (.4-1 cent per kilowatt-hour), but still e-Green certified, ways to do this is through Good Energy. Or, for about half a cent per kilowatt-hour you can purchase renewable energy certificates through Carbonfund.org. ANY of these ways you do it, you are helping the environment, helping America, and helping cut carbon emissions.

Atlanta Beyond OilWe are interested in peak oil, global warming, relocalization, sustainable communities, alternative energy, permaculture, and more. We are beginning to network with other Metro Atlanta groups and to have events that educate people about our concerns. We offer support, information, and opportunities to contribute to the solution. We'd love to have you join us! Go here for more details.

The Atlanta Green Living Meetup GroupWe will meet to share ideas, listen to speakers, review new products, and organize in the community to promote the preservation of Atlanta's natural environment. The group focuses on easy, accessible options that everyone can take to reduce their footprint. Join here for more info.

ALTERNATIVE FUELS:

There are two kinds of alternate fuels that are readily available that lower your carbon foot print and use AMERICAN resources and create AMERICAN jobs rather than supporting big oil companies and oil nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela.

ETHANOL: Cars labeled FlexFuel (now becoming common in some states) can use up to E85 (85% ethanol/15% gasoline). E85 burns cleaner than gasoline and is usually cheaper. I have used E85 in California and found it to be 10-40 cents cheaper than the cheapest gasoline at the same station. CLICK HERE TO FIND STATIONS IN GEORGIA OFFERING E85. This can be a really good way to help the American economy, help the environment, AND save money.

BIODIESEL: Here are some biodiesel stations in Georgia (and Georgia has a great network of biodiesel stations). Biodiesel is less polluting and has a smaller carbon footprint than regular diesel, and is produced right here in the USA. Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine.

Atlanta Area Democrats Meetup Group: Grassroots Democrats upset with the direction the Republicans are taking our country and our state - we're taking action! Sign up for more information.

Cobb County Young DemocratsMonthly Happy Hours on the first Fridays of every month and monthly Business Meetings on the third Tuesdays of every month. Both are great opportunities to meet fellow Cobb County Young Democrats and learn about the 2008 heated races taking place in Cobb County.

Georgia Equality is the political advocacy voice of Georgia's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender citizens and their allies. Founded in Atlanta in 1995, it has grown into a true statewide organization and is known nationally as one of the leaders among state and local LGBT groups.

Atlanta Amnesty International Chapter 75: Meet others in your local area interested in Amnesty International USA, a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. Sign up to find out when and where.